<p>I'm involved in a lot sports, although I'm not sure which are best to focus upon during my upcoming visit to schools. Are there any sports, in particular, that might help gain admission? I want to be sure to meet with the coaches of those sports and express my willingness to help the school team. I currently play tennis, golf, baseball, basketball and squash. And although I've never played football or ice hockey, they seem like fun sports.</p>
<p>And D'yer, not to worry, I don't plan on mentioning my prowess for cow chip tossing.</p>
<p>Do you excel at any of these sports? If so, you'll want to make arrangements to meet with those coaches in advance of your visit. You may even want your coaches in those sports to write to their counterparts at the boarding schools to describe to them how you might be a key contributor at the high school level.</p>
<p>I would NOT leave it up to chance as to whether you and a coach can get together during an interview/tour by doing no planning until you arrive on campus. This goes for anyone you might want to meet with.</p>
<p>The larger the team, the more turnover the team is likely to experience from year-to-year. Those teams create the best odds for you meeting a need.</p>
<p>As for cow chip tossing...if you're pretty accurate, that might be something I'd want to know before sending you a rejection letter. It would at least give me pause. So while it might not get you "in," it could very well impede you from being tossed.</p>
<p>You should focus on the sport(s) you show the greatest strenght in and send in your stats. Have you been on any private club/elite teams in any of your sports? Do you play them year-round? Just playing your hs season once a year won't get you anywhere unless you are extremely strong/gifted in that sport.</p>
<p>I'm only a good athlete in those sports, not world class. But I am a team player and can be a contributer. Surely the coaches are happy to have enthusiastic players as part of their teams, even if they are not likely to be stars.</p>
<p>However, herein lies the rub.... I am highly ranked (top 5 nationally) in a particular sport that is not offered at any boarding school. For example, let's say I'm one of the top junior bullriders in North America (that's not my sport, just an example) and I've worked hard to be one of the best. I'm often involved and have placed highly in international competition. Will an admissions committee care about this sport and give it any consideration since it is not part of their sports curriculum? In other words, this sport is, by leaps and bounds, my most most important EC and I'm really good at it. But is it enough to be a "hook" since it's not part of the boarding school EC menu?</p>
<p>I wouldn't think it would be a "hook", but I would definitely think it could improve your chances of admission as it shows commitment and aspiration excellence in a specific area.
You should fill out the "prospective student athlete" questionnaire that many schools have for the sports you are interested in. It will be seen by the coaches of the sports you have listed.</p>
<p>Hay Seed: On the down side, be prepared to respond to questions of how you plan on balancing that high level of achievement with the demands of boarding school, the relative isolation of boarding school from your sport and the lack of transportation to events you need to attend to maintain your ranking.</p>
<p>The trap to avoid: On the one hand, you can make a clear cut assertion that you're so committed to boarding school that you'll make a sacrifice like this while, on the other hand, you may come across as a quitter for not following through. </p>
<p>An admissions officer may decide for you that it's in your best interest to remain plugged in to your sport or they may decide that you're actually too committed to it to make the leap to boarding school once you reach the crossroads (making you a low yield admit and decreasing your chances for admission). If you're not careful, this can be a liability for you.</p>
<p>In cases like this, your achievement may actually pose obstacles for you. If you're truly committed to boarding school you need to navigate these little land mines that await you while continuing to leverage your high national ranking as an asset in the admission process.</p>
<p>I'm assuming just that. But that raises questions of:</p>
<p>a) Why would someone do something as drastic as foregoing a national ranking in a sport? What key fact (or smoking gun) is missing from his application? Is he running from a challenge? Is boarding school a convenient way to address a fear of failure as he advances to different age brackets?</p>
<p>b) Is this person really serious about boarding school; has he thought this through? Is he imagining he can still play his peculiar sport AND attend our school?</p>
<p>c) Will this person be happy here even if he matriculates? Isn't it likely he'll regret the decision? Will he most likely enroll at a school where he can also pursue this experience?</p>
<p>d) Is it really in this applicant's best interests to tear him away from this magnificent experience?</p>
<p>Hay Seed will need to make sure these questions are resolved for skeptical AdComs.</p>